Method of manufacturing absorbent facing materials

Abstract

An absorbent facing material comprising 10 to 30% cellulosic, staple length, textile fibers, 60 to 80% of fluff wood pulp, and 5 to 25% of a resin binder material. The cellulosic fibers are substantially only on one surface of the material and the wood pulp substantially only on the opposite surface. The binder is distributed in a predetermined pattern with the surface containing the cellulosic fibers having a higher concentration of binder than the surface containing the wood pulp fibers.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. The method of producing an absorbent nonwoven facing material weighing at least one ounce per square yard comprising: (a) forming a web of cellulosic, staple length textile fibers, said fibers having a length of at least 1/2 inch and said textile fibers comprising 10% to 30% by weight of the facing material; (b) uniformly depositing ground wood pulp on one side of the textile fiber web to form an entirely absorbent fiber-pulp laminate, said wood pulp comprising 60% to 80% by weight of the facing material; (c) confining both surfaces of the fiber-pulp laminate; (d) wetting the entire laminate with water while it is confined to saturate the laminate and produce integrity therein; (e) depositing a resin binder in an intermittent pattern to the surface of the laminate containing the staple length textile fibers, said binder comprising 5% to 25% by weight of the facing materials; and (f) drying the laminate with the binder thereon to remove the water and produce a highly absorbent stabilized facing material which is free of hydrogen bonding.